Newcastle United held up their end of the bargain amid a wealth of pre-match confidence at Old Trafford as they beat Manchester United in their own backyard for only the second time in the Premier League.

Alexander Isak got the opening goal after only four minutes before Joelinton doubled the visitors' lead before 20 minutes had been played. Newcastle could have had more after a blistering start to the encounter but ended up managing their two-goal advantage well.

Here are five things we learned from the game.

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Old Trafford hoodoo ended

Newcastle United starting as the bookies' favourites at Old Trafford? How often has that happened before... You could hardly split the two sides before kick-off - so much so that a £1 bet on an away win would have earned you just 2p more than a home win with the same stake.

After all, only Alan Pardew has recorded a Premier League win as Newcastle boss on this ground over a decade ago. Now, Eddie Howe can add that to the many, many records he has smashed since taking over the black and white outfit.

Heading into the game, there was a uncharacteristic air of confidence before the final showdown of 2024. Rightly so, given the the monumental difference in form - and subsequently confidence - between both sides. However, this is Old Trafford and history tells you Newcastle should never expect anything from this venue.

But this is a different Manchester United side. Lacking identity, lacking heart, lacking belief themselves. Ruben Amorim is staring down the barrel of a really embarrassing sacking; the Portuguese coach admitted so himself. Remarkable given he has only been in charge since early November.

As for Newcastle, it's onwards and upwards in 2025 as they look to end their trophy drought and return to the European competitions. The Red Devils need a miracle if they are to achieve that themselves.

Ruthless Newcastle start well once again

That’s now four games in a row where Newcastle have scored before the 10th minute. A crazy - and impressive - statistic given the start of this current campaign consisted of failures to break teams down.

Alexander Isak found the net after only four minutes. By the 20th minute, Joelinton was wheeling away celebrating a goal of his own. Manchester United players could only stand, stare and furiously debate who was at fault.

Eddie Howe's side looked as though they were the home team as they zipped the ball about the Old Trafford turf with confidence aplenty in the early stages. Lewis Hall stung the gloves of Andre Onana, Sandro Tonali saw one deflected wide before he was denied by the woodwork, Isak saw a second goal ruled out courtesy of the offside flag and Joelinton could also have added to his tally before half-time.

No wonder Gary Neville described the opening 25 minutes as a 'mauling' for his beloved Red Devils... In a game where Newcastle wanted to pile the pressure on a struggling Manchester United side, it was the dream start at the 'Theatre of Dreams'.

Old Trafford boos heard - and Amorim taunted

33 minutes in and Ruben Amorim had seen enough. Joshua Zirkzee made his way off the field after a dismal opening half an hour that included just 14 touches and a pass accuracy of 33%. In truth, you could have hauled any one of Manchester United's 10 outfield players off and they could not have had many complaints.

Zirkzee has struggled since arriving for big money in the summer - and Manchester United fans took their frustrations out on the misfiring forward, booing him as he made his way to the touchline. The Dutchman grabbed his jacket and headed straight for the tunnel before reemerging and taking his spot on the bench moments later.

The home side looked a whole lot more assured after Kobbie Mainoo replaced Zirkzee, with Amorim's men beginning to grow into the tie after the early change. However, as the second-half ticked on, Manchester United's larger share of possession wasn't translating into chances or goals.

Amorim stood on the touchline, looking rather frustrated, and will have heard the taunts from the away end. "You're getting sacked in the morning" was the cry from his right, among other classics wheeled out in what proved to be a memorable away day for the travelling contingent.

It was dreamland for that particular pocket of Old Trafford and a very different feeling for those in the home stands - and for Amorim stood alone on the sidelines.

You can't put a price on Alexander Isak...

£150m? Is that it?

Alexander Isak's future remains the talk of the town - despite repeated assurances from the man himself and his manager that he is happy with life on Tyneside - but it's no wonder. The man simply can't stop scoring.

That's now goals against Liverpool, Brentford, Leicester City, Ipswich Town, Aston Villa and Manchester United in the month of December alone. Eight goals in six straight games to only add to the transfer talk with January's trading period now hours away.

Newcastle will move heaven and earth to keep their star man at St James' Park and Isak himself has shown no sign of wanting out, with his contract running until 2028. This week's talk of a £150m price tag even feels a tad undervalued, as unusual as that sounds.

He is swiftly becoming a hero at this football club - and committing his future in the form of a new deal would only further that legend status.

Dubravka lands big achievement

That's now four consecutive league wins for Newcastle without conceding a goal. It's the first time they've managed that since April 2012.

Back then, it was Tim Krul keeping the ball out of the Magpies' net, as he denied Liverpool, Bolton, Swansea and Stoke City in successive games. This time around, Dubravka has kept Manchester United, Aston Villa, Ipswich Town and Leicester City at bay in the top flight.

Speculation swirls over his future amid January interest but Newcastle need him currently - and he's delivering the goods between the sticks in return.